The Flames of War
by Mortem Sanctus
Summary: The Great War ravaged the world for over 100 years, finally ending with the defeat of Firelord Ozai at the hands of Avatar Aang. However, the beginning of the war has been shrouded in mystery. That is, up until now. Rated M for graphic violence (nothing too bad, just not for the kiddies).
1. Prologue: Fire and Earth

_**A/N: Howdy everyone! I haven't written a story in a long while, but I recently joined a challenge forum. They encouraged me to get back into this, so voila! For the Long Haul challenge, here is, "The Flames of War". And to my forum friends: it was 1500 words before the author's notes, I promise!**_

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><p>"Are you even listening to me, lieutenant?"<p>

Snapping out of his reverie, Huojin nodded. "Yes, sir," he replied, quickly, "I'm sure we'll be out of this forest in no time."

Laughing, Lt. Colonel Katsu turned his head back toward the front. "If you want to get anywhere against these Earth Kingdom brutes, you have to focus," he said, confidently, "Thinking isn't in their repertoire. How do you think we've driven this far inland in so short a time?"

Huojin shook his head, but chose to remain silent. Katsu was an overweight moron, who spent more time chasing his secretary around a desk than he did actually commanding his battalion. Having the man with his platoon was quickly becoming burdensome, as all he did was talk about how easy the campaign was going to be. If Katsu knew what he was talking about, they'd be marching into Ba Sing Se within a week. Huojin, however, believed that the Earth Kingdom soldiers might have different plans.

"Sir," Huojin began, choosing his words carefully, "We should be as quiet as possible. An Earth Kingdom patrol could hear us, and…"

"Oh, hogmonkeys, lieutenant!" the fat man exclaimed, with a laugh, "There aren't any Earth Kingdom soldiers in these godforsaken woods! And even if there were, it's nigh on impossible that they'll find us!"

"They will with your fat mouth yapping on!" a soldier called out.

"Who said that?!" Katsu blustered, looking angrily at the unit behind him, "I swear by the spirits I will have you court-martialed!"

Nobody answered him, each man keeping as blank a face as possible. Huojin, on the other hand, was struggling to keep from laughing, even as his commanding officer searched for the culprit.

"There's going to be hell to pay for this!" Katsu yelled, outraged, "I'm going to file a formal inquiry! I'll have each and every one of your hea-" He stopped abruptly, an almost ridiculously dubious look on his face.

"Sir, are you alright?" Huojin asked, grasping the other man by the shoulder. He recoiled back, as Katsu fell dead to the ground, an arrow sticking from his back. "Ambush!" Huojin yelled, as more arrows began tearing into his men, "Get down!"

Every man dove for the dirt, struggling to find some semblance of cover from the enemy archers. The men hit in the initial volley lay draped across the brush or prone on the ground. One, who had been hit in the leg, was screaming at the top of his lungs, before another arrow hit his throat and silenced him.

Three more volleys came down, before loud shouts and war cries could be heard from the surrounding trees. The Fire Nation soldiers could now see human shapes materializing from the shadows, running toward their position at breakneck speed.

"Make ready!" Huojin ordered, drawing his sword, "They're coming!" He turned to face the enemy, just in time to block an axe swinging at his head. Pushing himself against the man, he head-butted the Earth Kingdom soldier, who was sent reeling by the blow. Finishing his opponent off with a slash to the back of the neck, Huojin turned to assess the situation.

The sounds of combat echoed through the woods, as the attacking Earth Kingdom soldiers descended upon the Fire Nation platoon. As far as he could tell, the two sides were evenly matched in terms of numbers. The fact that the ground was still firm beneath him was yet another good sign, as that meant the enemy patrol didn't have an earthbender with them. "For the Fire Nation!" Huojin yelled, charging into the melee, "For Sozin! Urrah!"

_"Urrah!"_ came the response, as each man in his platoon screamed the warcry back to their officer. Fighting with renewed vigor, they pushed the earthbenders back toward the trees.

Huojin entered the fray, engaging an enemy swordsman with a swipe at the man's neck. The Earth Kingdom soldier narrowly avoided the blow, and countered with a wide sweep toward the officer's midriff. Jumping back, Huojin ran forward, pushing the other man to the ground. Thrusting downward, he stabbed right into the dirt, as his opponent rolled to the left just in the nick of time.

The Earth Kingdom soldier kicked Huojin in the ankle, bringing him to one knee, as the other man scrambled to his feet. Seeing his opportunity, the enemy soldier swiped across his body at the young lieutenant. Huojin began to bring his sword up to parry the blow, but the other man's sword slashed him open from his elbow to his right ring finger. He fell backwards, his sword falling from numb fingers, and he stared, shocked, at the bloody gash running the length of his forearm.

Time seemed to slow, as the Earth Kingdom soldier paused to catch his breath. Grinning triumphantly, he swung his sword up over his head.

Huojin closed his eyes and waited for the death blow to come. His family, his friends, his favorite teacher from the military academy; all of them flashed through his mind in less than a second. This was the end of his life, and he knew it.

A few more seconds passed, but nothing happened. Confused, Huojin opened his eyes to see the Earth Kingdom soldier frozen, his sword still up above his head. The man's expression, however, had gone from one of triumph, to one of confusion. As if in slow motion, his sword dropped from his numb hands, and he fell to a kneeling position. Blood welled up out of his mouth, and he sagged back onto his haunches.

Standing behind him was a smiling Fire Nation soldier, the tip of his spear glistening with blood. He kicked the Earth Kingdom soldier sideways, knocking his lifeless corpse to the ground.

Huojin began to say something, but stopped as a jolt of pain shot up his arm. He cried out, clutching his bleeding forearm as another jolt shot up, this one even more painful than the first.

"Whoa, there," the friendly soldier said, concern in his voice as he knelt next to the fallen officer. "Don't you worry about a thing, sir. The medics are on their way."

"But...the Earth Kingdom patrol..." Huojin said, his voice worried. He began to try and get up, but was stopped by the other soldier.

"We got them, sir," the man said, reassuring him, "The rest of the company heard the commotion and came to help."

The lieutenant nodded, lying back in the grass with a sigh. "Thank you, soldier," he said, his voice bright from pain, "Thank you...for saving my life."

"Don't worry about it," the soldier replied, smiling, "Just don't waste my effort by dying, okay?"

Huojin laughed, and closed his eyes. The medic arrived a few minutes later, and held a bottle up to the wounded man's mouth. Huojin drank it, making a face as he swallowed the bitter liquid. "That oughta hold you over," the medic said, watching the lieutenant slowly succumb to the painkiller, "Just relax."

Standing, the medic gestured toward a few soldiers standing nearby. "Get a stretcher!" he yelled, "And make it quick! He's losing a lot of blood!"

The men vanished in almost an instant, eager to help the wounded in any way they could. If there was one thing that was markedly good in Fire Nation soldiers, it was in the mutual respect they had for one another. Like each other or not, they were all in this fight together, and took care of each other like brothers.

Turning back to Huojin, the medic kneeled once more. "Hold him still," he ordered, looking at the soldier who had been nearby when he had arrived, "This is going to hurt, even through the painkiller."

The other soldier readied himself to restrain the lieutenant, and the medic began to pour water from his canteen over the wound. Luckily, the sword had not cut through any major veins or arteries, and was mostly a flesh wound up until the hand.

"That doesn't look good," the soldier said, nodding his head at Huojin's hand. There was a clean slice across the back, ending in the mangled remains of his right ring finger.

"No, it does not," the medic replied, beginning to dust the now clean wound with a powdered medecine, "He'll probably lose the finger. It's a real shame; I've heard he was a good swordsman." He threaded a needle with expert precision, and prepared to stitch the wound.

The other soldier tightened his grip on the wounded man, and shook his head. "I'm sure they won't discharge him. Plenty of jobs a man can do without a finger, right?"

The medic didn't reply, but began to do his work. Surprisingly, Huojin struggled very little, his lithe frame having felt the affects of the painkiller much faster than most others would have. The stretcher arrived a few moments later, and he was loaded on and taken back to a field hospital.

"Take good care of him," one of the stretcher bearers said, nodding at the doctor, "The Fire Nation needs more men like him."


	2. Going Home

_Thwak! _

_Huojin fell backwards, dropping his wooden training sword as he landed heavily on his back. _

"_Nice try," his father stated, laughing lightly, "But you need to stop blinking every time you are about to strike. I saw that one coming a mile away."_

_The little boy sat up, wiping his eyes hurriedly. The last hit had hurt, but he refused to let his father see the tears. Warriors were not supposed to cry._

_Shaking his head sternly, his father picked up the boy's training sword. "Never let go of your weapon," he said, switching his grip so the handle pointed down at his son, "Your sword is your life. To let go of your sword is to let go of your life."_

"_Yes, father," Huojin replied, using the offered handle to pull himself up, "I'm sorry…"_

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><p>"What're you apologizing for?" The unfamiliar voice cut through his dream like a knife, and the young lieutenant woke with a start.<p>

He was in a dark metal room, the only light being emanated from three candles on the wall opposite of him. Huojin tried to sit up, and immediately regretted this action as a wave of pain shot up his arm.

Gasping, he fell back onto the bed and closed his eyes. He felt tears coming, but fought them back. He looked down at his arm, examining it closely.

It was wrapped thickly in white bandages, but a thin red splotch could be seen running the length of his forearm. His hand was wrapped to the point where he couldn't see it, but it was also showing blood.

He closed his eyes once more, and took a deep breath as his head began spinning. Blood usually never bothered him, so long as it wasn't his own.

"That's a pretty nasty cut you've got there," the voice said, sounding mildly interested, "How'd you get it?"

Opening his eyes once again, Huojin searched the room for the speaker.

The young man looked to be in his mid-twenties, with a smooth face that still showed a few traces of youth. He could not have been more than a few years older than Huojin was himself. His dark brown eyes belied a mixed heritage of both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom blood, as there was no other way for that eye color to exist.

"We…we were ambushed, by an Earth Kingdom patrol," Huojin began, his head finally clearing enough for him to reply, "It's nothing, really. Just a scratch."

The wounded lieutenant looked around the room once more, before turning back to his companion. "Where are we?" he asked.

The other man shrugged. "Probably somewhere in the North Sea by now," he answered, looking around the room himself, "Last I heard, they were taking us back to the Capitol for treatment."

"The Capitol?" Huojin asked, confused, "Why would they take us all the way back there?"

"Spirits, as if they'd tell me," his companion replied, throwing up his hands.

The wounded lieutenant relaxed down onto his bed, looking up at the ceiling. There were dozens of military hospitals in the conquered lands back in the Earth Kingdom. Why would they be taking him back to the Capitol?

"The name's Talsu, by the way."

Huojin turned to face his companion again, as the man extended a hand. Without saying a word, he looked down at his arm, then back at the offered hand.

Realizing his mistake, Talsu withdrew his arm with a sheepish grin.

"My name is Huojin," the lieutenant replied, nodding graciously, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

An awkward silence fell over the two of them, as Talsu was still red in embarrassment from his lapse in judgment.

Seeking to salvage the situation, Huojin struck up a conversation. "Talsu…that's an interesting name," he began, feigning interest, "How'd you get it?"

"It's an old family name, from my mother's side," Talsu replied, sounding glad to finally be talking about something, "Goes all the way back to the Sun Warriors, from what I was told."

"That's interesting," Huojin mused, nodding slowly, "Does it mean anything?"

"It means 'light'," Talsu answered, before laughing. "The guys on ship with me thought it was funny, because I worked in the engine room where it was always dark. It got even funnier after I got hurt."

Huojin raised one eyebrow. "How did you get hurt?" he asked, now genuinely interested. The half of Talsu he could see had no visible wounds, but he had to have gotten hurt somehow to end up on a medical transport.

The other man pushed down his blankets to reveal a heavily bandaged leg, the white linen stained green from burn salve. "These big ships, like the one we're on," he began gesturing around the room, "They run off of steam power. The little ones, though, like the one I was on, have liquid fuel instead."

He pulled the blankets back up, before continuing. "My ship was attacked by an Earth Kingdom war-cruiser. We got away, but the bastards hit our engine with one of their rocks. I didn't notice a fuel tank had leaked onto my pants, until after I tried to light a candle with a spark rock."

Huojin cringed, imagining the scene in his head. "Are the burns bad?" he asked, looking at the blankets with a wary eye.

"In some places," Talsu replied, shrugging, "But whatever pain killer they've got me on keeps me from feeling them too much, and the doctors said I'd be walking again in a few weeks."

"That's good to hear," Huojin replied, nodding with a smile, "Did you hear them say anything about me?"

"Not really, no," the sailor answered, shrugging, "They just brought you in last night, and told me not to disturb you until you woke up. I heard you talking, so I knew you were awake."

Huojin began to inform his roommate that he had, in fact, been talking in his sleep, but decided against it. Such an action would alienate the one friend he was going to have for a few days, and the lieutenant didn't want to spend his trip in silence.

Before he could formulate a reply, a knock was heard at the door, and it opened to admit a doctor and two nurses. Silently thanking the spirits that he didn't have to reply to Talsu, Huojin smiled at the newcomers.

"Ah, I see you are awake!" the doctor exclaimed, smiling brightly, "How are you feeling?"

Huojin smiled back at the man, and nodded. "I'm feeling fine, thank you," he replied, "My arm only hurts a bit. Could you tell me…"

"Alright, Talsu! Let's see that leg!" The doctor had cut him off, moving over to the sailor's bed and pulling back the blankets. The nurses began removing the bandages, but the leg in question was blocked from Huojin's view by the doctor.

"It seems to be healing up quite nicely," the doctor stated, making a few notes on his clipboard, "Is the pain too much for you to handle? Would you like us to up your dosage?"

"No, no. (t's fine, thank you," Talsu replied, shaking his head, "I'd rather keep as clear a head as possible, thank you."

The doctor nodded, and turned to Huojin as the nurses began to reapply the bandages. "How about you?" the man asked, smiling kindly down at the wounded lieutenant, "Is your arm holding up alright?"

There was something about the doctor's behavior that made Huojin feel a deep mistrust of the man before him. It was probably how he seemed to treat his two patients like children that set off red flags in the lieutenant's mind.

"It's doing fine, thank you," Huojin replied, looking down at the bandaged limb, "You saw this before they bandaged it up, didn't you doc? How soon do you think I could get back to the front?"

The doctor laughed, clapping a few times. "Don't worry son, we won't be sending you back anytime soon. You don't have to worry about returning to that hellhole anytime soon."

"I don't think you understand," Huojin began, his patience wearing thin, "I want to get back to the front as soon as possible. How long until I am healed enough to return?"

The doctor seemed a little shocked, and visibly steadied himself before answering. "We don't know just yet," he replied, his friendly tone replaced by a mildly confused one, "You'll have to take your case up with the military liasons back at the Capitol. Now, if you will excuse me, I have other patients to see to." With that said, he turned on his heel, and left the room.

A few minutes later, the nurses followed behind him, leaving both patients with fresh bandages on their wounds.

The room was silent for a few moments, as Huojin fumed over the doctor's cryptic response.

"Why do you want to get back to the front so badly?" Talsu asked, looking over at his roommate warily.

Huojin glanced over at him, before facing straightforward once more with a huff. "This war is of vital importance to the Fire Nation," he replied, his voice firm, "We can't afford to lose it, and I must do everything within my power to make sure we win. I can't do that sitting in a hospital back at the Capitol!"

There was more silence after this, before Talsu exclaimed, "But there are no girls on the front!"

This unexpected outburst made Huojin laugh, with Talsu joining him a few moments later. "You...you're right!" Huojin replied, between fits of laughter, "Well, except for those Earth Kingdom partisans. It's kind of hard to flirt with them, though, when they're swinging an axe at your head!"

That comment caused another bout of laughter, which lasted for several seconds.

"Just...look on the bright side!" Talsu stated, being the first to calm down enough to speak, "There'll be girls back at the Capitol! Prettiest girls in the Fire Nation, if the stories are true."

The lieutenant nodded in reply, before shaking his head. "Too bad we've got no chance," he said, laughing a little less enthusiastically, "Last I checked, women aren't attracted to cripples."

"Ah, but that's the thing," Talsu shot back, pulling himself up regally, "We are not just any cripples. We are wounded soldiers, back from the front lines of battle against the barbarous Earth Kingdom!" He laughed, falling back against his pillows. "They'll be lining up down the block, just to see us!"

Huojin laughed again, shaking his head at the injured sailor. "I'll be able to get away with that one," he said, before pointing at Talsu's leg, "But you set_yourself_ on fire."

Talsu narrowed his eyes, before laughing again. "But you see," he replied, winking, "The girls don't have to know that!"

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><p>They talked and bantered for a few more hours, before the nurses returned to give them their medecine. Huojin was glad of this, as his arm had begun throbbing for the half an hour before.<p>

The painkillers set in quickly, and both of the wounded men quickly began to fade into sleep.

"I hope there's a pretty girl in my dream tonight," Talsu stated, through a yawn, "Goodnight, Huojin."

Huojin smiled, and closed his eyes without replying. His earlier anger was gone, replaced by a quiet excitement as the drew closer to home with each passing second. "Goodnight my friend," he replied, sleepily, before his mind went blank, and he dropped off into darkness.

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><p><em><strong>Mort: Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! More action to come later, so until then, keep reading and reviewing! <strong>_


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